Because I Cannot Hurt You

Xinyi, who was hiding behind a tree and listening to their conversation, couldn't help but gasp. Her lips parted in shock as this was too sudden to digest.

Daughter? Zongying? Grandpa had a daughter? Doesn't he have just one son, my father-in-law?

At the party, she didn't know why but she got an uneasy feeling about Liao Junjie and An Guoting. The disdain that Liao Junjie held for him was evident. He wasn't even trying to hide it. Then she saw Liao Junjie following him outside, and so she did too.

Everything was too confusing to her.

Han Huizhong had a daughter and nobody knew about it. Zhiyuan never mentioned anything about an Aunt and neither did Han Huizhong bring up her topic.

She took a step but tripped on a rock. She was about to fall when she fell into someone's arms. She raised her head and was taken aback. "Yuan…"

Xinyi felt a little embarrassed and quickly stood on her feet. Liao Yuan was holding her for one second and then she was suddenly gone. His hands froze in midair.

"Xinyi," he smiled. "What are you doing here outside? It's cold."

"Ah that…"

Liao Yuan craned his neck and saw An Guoting and his grandfather together. He let out a sigh. "Even though I told Grandpa not to say anything…"

Xinyi blinked her eyes. "You... know something about it?"

"He must be talking about Han Zongying. If it's An Guoting, he will only talk about her," Liao Yuan smiled. "I guess you don't know about her."

She dazedly shook her head. "Not even Zhiyuan or Zizi. Can you tell me? I want to know."

Liao Yuan touched his chin. "Honestly, I don't know much about her. Grandpa used to talk about her sometimes."

He turned and saw a small bridge at the other side. "Let's talk over there."

As they stood at the center of the bridge, Xinyi hesitatingly asked, "Grandpa really had a daughter too?"

"Yes. Grandpa said that he used to treat her like his daughter. They are old rivals and the only thing that connected them was Han Zongying. He used to say how she always scolded them for fighting like little kids. It's because of her that their rivalry kind of turned into friendship though neither of them accepted it. She was Uncle Han Tian's little sister."

Xinyi was in deep thought. She couldn't believe that there was another member in the Han family.

"B-But why was her existence hidden from us? And what is the relationship between An Guoting and the two of them?"

Liao Yuan shook his head. "Unfortunately, Grandpa refused to talk about it too. He only said that he hates An Guoting to his core. He killed Han Zongying and it's because of him that the relationship between the Han and An family is so bad. And because he destroyed her life, Grandpa became his enemy too. How An Guoting and Han Zongying knew each other, I don't know about that."

Somehow, Xinyi had this strong feeling that whatever happened between them had a direct implication of what happened seven years back with Caihong.

"Grandpa visits her grave every year. I am sure Grandpa Han would be doing it too."

Now that she thought about it, Han Huizhong did always go somewhere on the same date. He never missed it. She remembered it was the day when Xinyi, Zhiyuan and Siying had left for the school picnic when he wasn't there in the house.

Liao Yuan said, "That's why Liao Corps doesn't do any business with the An Corps. Grandpa has strictly prohibited from having anything to do with An Guoting and his business."

Xinyi slowly said, "Is that why... Grandpa always hated Caihong?"

He nodded. "It's a very high possibility. If An Guoting really had something to do with Han Zongying's death, then Grandpa Han would definitely not like Caihong or anybody from his family."

"I see…"

She looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you, Yuan. I guess Grandpa Liao must have told you not to talk about her to anyone, right?"

Liao Yuan stared at her. "You are not just anyone."

She stiffened. Panicked, she lowered her gaze and pursed her lips. "We should go back…"

She turned but he suddenly caught her wrist. "Xinyi."

Surprised, she looked at his hand holding her wrist and then lifted her gaze towards him. "Y-yes?"

"You…" Liao Yuan felt his heart drumming fast and he slightly squeezed her hand. "Do you-"

Suddenly, his hand was harshly shook off as Zhiyuan pulled Xinyi behind his back. Liao Yuan stumbled a few steps back. He narrowed his eyes.

"Like I said Mr. Liao, I don't care what goes on in that tiny brain of yours, but I warned you not to step in anybody's territory," Zhiyuan was so enraged that he wished to push him off the bridge into the water. His jaw was tightly clenched and he gathered every last bit of his strength not to punch the hell out of him.

"Zhiyuan…" Xinyi tried to intervene but he didn't let her.

Liao Yuan chuckled. "Territory? That's a funny word to use so suddenly, isn't it? All that time you were depressed over the separation from your first love and now you suddenly feel territorial of Xinyi? Hypocrite much? Why are you suddenly so possessive? You don't have the right."

Zhiyuan clenched his fists. "I know what I have done, Liao Yuan. You don't need to remind me. I have made mistakes and trust me, there was nobody more than me who felt that we should really separate. But I realized that I have to own up to them, not run away. I want Xinyi in my life and I will do anything to make up for the time lost. But what you are doing isn't anything saintly either. Aren't you trying to do something questionable to a woman who is already married."

Liao Yuan snorted.

Zhiyuan sneered. "Get it straight, Liao Yuan.. You have already been rejected once. Do you want to repeat history again?"